266 
82 


\N    ESSAY 


AS  AN  ART 


,!■>  I  K  INS  TO  COLLECTORS 

ON  THE  CARE  OF  BOOKS 


IPANY 


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AN  ESSAY  ON  BOOKBINDING 

AS  AN  ART 


'"PHE  general  appearance  of  one's  Library  is  a 
matter  to  which  the  tasteful  collector  does 
well  to  attend.  We  have  a  right  to  consider 
books,  as  to  their  outsides,  with  the  eye  of  a 
painter. 

A  Library  without  color  is  dreary  and  repul- 
sive. It  should  be  one  of  the  most  inviting  and 
cosy  places  in  the  house.  Let  the  book-case, 
however  humble,  be  made  as  attractive  as  pos- 
sible. 

A  case  filled  with  volumes  bound  in  cloth,  no 
matter  how  effective  and  elaborate  the  gold  may 


4  AN   ESSAY   ON   BOOKBINDING 

be  upon  their  backs,  has  never  the  varied  and 
rich  appearance  of  a  book-case  filled  with  volumes 
bound  in  Calf,  Vellum,  Morocco,  or  Russia 
leather. 

The  taste  for  fine  bindings  with  which  to  clothe 
good  books  in  the  best  attire,  is  growing  among 
those  in  America  who  have  the  leisure  to  think 
about  the  fitness  of  things. 

A  practical  rule  by  which  to  be  governed  is  that 
a  book  should  be  bound  in  harmony  with  its 
character  and  its  value.  The  bibliophile,  if  he 
could  give  rein  to  his  passions,  would  bind  every 
book  he  cares  to  possess  in  a  full  coat  of  Morocco. 
But  this  is  beyond  the  power  of  most  of  us. 
Only  works  of  rarity  or  value  should  be  full  bound 
in  Morocco  or  Vellum. 

For  most  books  a  good,  substantial  binding  in 
Half  Morocco,  Calf  or  Russia — leather  backs  and 
corners,   with    marbled  paper  or  cloth  sides — is 


AN   ESSAY  ON   BOOKBINDING  5 

the  favorite  style.  It  combines  economy  and  dura- 
bility, and  can  be  made  to  exhibit  a  great  deal  of 
neatness. 

Russia  leather  looks  rich  and  pretty,  and 
wears  well  on  books  that  are  much  handled,  as  it 
absorbs  the  oil  from  the  hand.  If  not  frequently 
handled  the  leather  is  apt  to  become  dry  and 
cracked,  caused  by  the  use  of  Oil  of  Birch  in  the 
tanning. 

Calf  takes  color  well  and  gives  a  showy  and 
attractive  back  to  a  book,  though  apt  to  stain 
and  appear  soiled  from  usage.  None  of  the  ready- 
made  bindings  of  the  present  day  are  more  beau- 
tiful than  Tree  Calf — full  gilt  volumes  resembling 
bricks  of  gold;  but  in  course  of  time  the 
colors  will  fade  and  the  sides  will  shrivel. 

The  one  leather  which  i.s  lasting  and  good- 
looking  is  Morocco,  of  which  there  are  various 
grade  the  richest  and  most  dur- 


6  AN    ESSAY   ON    BOOKBINDING 

able;  Turkey  next,  then  imitations  of  various 
degrees  of  cheapness.  Genuine  Morocco  is  a 
goat-skin,  and  has  a  long,  tough  fiber;  the  fiber 
of  calf-skin  is  fine  and  close.  Morocco  takes 
color  as  well,  if  not  better  than  Calf,  and  holds 
it  far  longer.  A  well  dyed  Morocco  is  said  to  be 
the  only  binding  which  does  not  fade,  or  change 
its  hue. 

Sheep-skin,  which  is  used  on  law  books,  dic- 
tionaries and  other  works  of  reference,  wears 
well,  and  is  not  expensive.  A  dyed  Sheep-skin 
with  a  polished  surface  is  called  a  roan,  and  serves 
well  enough  as  a  cheap  substitute  for  Morocco, 
especially  in  books  of  the  magazine  and 
pamphlet  order. 

Now,  in  the  process  of  binding  a  book,  the 
operation  of  folding  is  of  great  importance,  the 
beauty  of  a  book  depending  upon  this  being 
properly  and  correctly  done.     In  fine  books  this 


AN    ESSAY   ON    BOOKBINDING  J 

is  usually  done  by  hand,  so  that  when  trimmed, 
the  margins  of  the  different  pages  may  be  uni- 
form, presenting  no  transpositions,  and  the  print- 
ing on  each  page  registering  with  its  opposite. 

The  various  sizes  of  books  are  denominated 
according  to  the  number  of  leaves  in  which  the 
sheet  is  folded,  as  folio,  quarto,  octavo,  12  mo.r 
16  mo.,  18  mo.,  24  mo.,  etc.  After  gathering 
the  folded  sheets  in  consecutive  order,  they  are 
collated  by  an  experienced  workman,  and  then 
pressed  until  smooth  and  solid.  Then,  if  to  be 
leather  bound,  with  a  tenant  saw  the  proper 
number  of  grooves  are  made  across  the  back  to 
sew  the  sheets  to  the  cords  or  bands  that  hold 
it  together.  The  bands  vary  in  distance  apart 
according  to  the  size  of  the  book  and  the  number 
used.  It  should  be  sewed  strongly  with  three 
<>r  more  bands,  so  that  two  or  three  of  them  can 
>r  lacing  on  the  board  covers. 


8  AN   ESSAY   ON   BOOKBINDING 

After  sewing,  the  book,  is  taken  by  the  for- 
warder who  trims  the  edges,  taking  every  precau- 
tion to  cut  the  volume  accurately  and  square,  after 
which  it  is  rounded  and  again  put  under  heavy 
pressure. 

The  next  process  is  the  gilding  or  coloring  of 

the  edges  of  the  volume.     The  tops  of  Library 

"-■bboks  s^uUKhfre  either  gilt,  marbled  or  colored, 

polished  edges  so  that  the  dust   may  be  easily 

removed. 

For  Table  books  in  full  Morocco  or  other  fine 
bindings,  full  gilt  edges  are  best.  If  you  desire  to 
revel  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  a  flexible  back, 
have  it  sewn  with  silk  upon  silk  bands  or  cords, 
and  you  will  have  a  combination  of  elasticity  and 
strength  that  cannot  be  surpassed.  For  large 
volumes  of  engravings  in  order  to  secure  strength, 
and  also  allow  the  plates  to  lie  flat  when  the 
volume  is  open,  the  plates  should  be  mounted 
upon  linen  guards.    The  next  step  is  to  put  on  the 


AN   ESSAY   ON   BOOKBINDING  9 

boards,  then  the  leather  covering,  after  which  it 
goes  to  the  finisher,  where  the  necessary  finishing, 
gilding  or  tooling,  and  lettering  are  done. 

We  call  book-binding  an  Art;  and  when  we 
consider  all  that  is  necessary  to  the  perfect  cover- 
ing of  a  book   it  must  be  admitted  to  be  one  of 

the  Arts.  Bsuiit  Library 

The  requisition  npon  the  binder's  skill  is  to 
put  the  book  into  a  cover  which  will  effectually 
protect  it  and  permit  it  to  be  used  with  ease; 
then  to  give  it  the  substantial  appearance,  without 
which  the  eye  of  the  connoisseur  will  remain  un- 
satisfied. The  volume  must  not  only  be  well 
protected  but  should  seem  so. 

Thus   far  the  mechanical  skill  of  the  binder 

In  the  choice  of  his  style  of  binding  and 

in  the  decoration  of  his  book,  if  he  performs  his 

with  taste  and  skill,   In-  rises  to  the   rank  of 

an  Artist. 


IO  AN    ESSAY   ON   BOOKBINDING 

Having  sketched  the  methods  and  ideals 
that  govern  us  in  the  binding  of  books,  we 
will  mention  a  few  of  the  well-known,  finely 
illustrated  works,  published  serially  and  other- 
wise, which  we  are  constantly  binding  in  Tree  Calf, 
Full  and  Half  Levant  Morocco  and  various  less 
expensive  bindings,  namely  The  Art  Journal,  Chef 

D'CEuvre  UArt,  Longfellow's  Complete  Poetical 

» 

and  Prose  Works,  Gallery  of  British  Art,  Mas- 
terpieces of  French  Art,  Bryants  Library  of 
PMry  and  Song,  Science  for  All,  Boy  dell 
Shakespeare,  Works  illustrated  by  Dore,  and 
many  others. 

Visitors  are  cordially  invited  to  visit  our  manu- 
facturing establishment — the  largest  on  the  Pacific 
Coast — and  witness  the  various  processes  of  book 
making. 

Marbling  of  edges,  for  many  years  a  secret,  is 
one  of  the  most  entertaining  sights. 


AN    ESSAY  ON   BOOKBINDING  I  I 

No  branch  is  more  interesting  than  the  manu- 
facturing of  Blank  Books,  which,  includes  every 
description  of  paper  book  from  the  Memoran- 
dum, which  is  simply  covered  with  marble-paper, 
to  the  most  firm  and  elaborately  bound  Blank 
book,  Ledger  and  Journal,  used  in  the  counting 
house  of  the  merchant  and  banker. 


HINTS  HERE  AND  THERE  TO  BOOK 
COLLECTORS. 


Treat  books  gently,  since  "books  are  kind 
friends,  we  benefit  by  their  advice,  and  they  exact 
no  confessions." 

Books  placed  in  a  library  should  be  thoroughly 
dusted  two  or  three  times  a  year  (too  much  dust- 
ing and  rubbing  is  injurious),  to  keep  them  in  all 
their  freshness,  to  prevent  any  development  of  in- 
sects and  to  examine  for  signs  of  dampness. 

Always  remove  the  dust  from  the  top  of  a 
book  before  opening  it,  in  order  to  prevent  it  from 
sifting  down  between  the  leaves.    The  finger  marks 


AX    ESSAY   ON    BOOKBINDING  1 3 

seen  in  books  are  more  often  caused  by  placing  the 
fingers  upon  dust  that  has  sifted  through  than 
from  soiled  fingers. 

Upon  opening  a  new  volume,  do  not  grasp  the 
leaves  rightly  in  your  hands,  else  you  may  break 
the  back.  If  the  book  is  too  tight  in  the  back, 
lay  it  upon  a  flat  surface,  and  open  it  by  taking  a 
few  leaves  at  a  time,  lightly  pressing  upon  them; 
thus  repeating  from  beginning  to  end,  until  the 
required  freedom  is  obtained. 

Never  cut  the  pages  of  a  book  or  magazine 
with  anything  but  a  paper-knife.  Do  not  wet 
your  fingers  to  turn  a  leaf.  Never  turn  down  the 
corner  of  a  page,  or  put  in  a  soiled  card  to  mark 
your  pla 

r  leave  a  book  open  face  downward;  if  it 
remain  long  in  that  position,  it  will  probably  open 
at  that  place  ever  afterward. 

r  in  mind  when  building  book-cases  that  in- 


14  AN   ESSAY   ON   BOOKBINDING 

sects  do  not  like  to  pierce  Cypress,  Cedar,  Ma- 
hogany, Sandal  or  very  dry  and  sound  Oak,  on 
account  of  the  compact  grain  and  strong  aroma; 
and  do  not  keep  your  books  near  the  ceiling  when 
the  room  is  lighted  with  gas  as  the  results  are 
highly  injurious. 

Avoid  a  dry  heat  or  a  damp  atmosphere;  the 
one  destroys  as  much  as  the  other.  The  former 
will  affect  the  binding,  and  the  latter  the  paper. 


EVERY  DESCRIFJION  OF 

BINDING  IN  LEATHER 

FROM  THE  ORDINARY  PERIODICAL  TO  THE 
FINEST   WORK    IN 

Vellum,  Levant,  Morocco,  Calf, 
and  Russia 

WITH  ELABORATE   TOOLING 


tl  attention  given  to  binding  rare  and  privately- 
illustrated  books 


A.   L.  BANCROFT  &  COMPANY 
ARTISTIC  BOOKBINS 

AND 

BOOK  MANUFACTUl 
San    Prani  : 


s,  Prim 

721     B  BET 


• 


